Training Schools

What is a Training School

We are a school that has met the rigorous criteria (set out by the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust or SSAT) and judged to be a high-performing school. Training schools demonstrate excellent practice across the range of teacher training activities, especially in initial teacher training and the continuing training and development of the whole school workforce. They are imaginative and influential in these areas. A substantial proportion of their training programmes involve collaborative work with others for the benefit of staff and pupils beyond their own boundaries.

Beaumont Hill applied to be a Training School for Special Educational Needs and was granted this status from September 2008.

Training Schools undertake a range of teacher training activities including good practice in teacher training provision, developing facilities for trainees to observe teaching lessons off-site, encouraging flexible and employment-based routes into teaching and developing the range and quality of mentor training and coaching. They undertake classroom based research into raising the quality of teaching and learning and share good practice with other schools. They often take the lead in other work to develop professional development opportunities for teachers, support staff, middle and senior leaders as well as trainees and NQTs. They work with key partners including other schools, the LA, HEIs and other ITT providers to meet local need. There are approximately 230 Training Schools operating.

Beaumont Hill is in a unique position as being only one of three special schools with this status.

The available funding can be used to support the management of the Training School and provide staff cover to enable teachers to devote time to developing best training practice such as mentor training and teaching and learning research. It enables schools to meet with other linked schools and partners. It can also be used to fund training school conferences and to purchase ICT and other equipment necessary to supporting innovative training. Approximately 30% - 50% should be used to support outreach activities.

Training Schools are expected to meet Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and also to set challenging Performance Indicators of their own to measure their progress through the period that they are designated as a Training School.

The Training School programme is jointly managed by the Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) and the Training and Development Agency for schools (TDA). The Department has the policy lead and the TDA manages the operational support for Training Schools.

What are we doing this year as a Training School?

We have a variety of activities that have happened and are planned for this coming year.

We financed two speakers to come into school in September in conjunction with FINE partnership (Facilitating Inclusion in the North East). We hosted a day conference with Bill Rogers, an internationally renowned speaker from Australia, along with Barbara Knowles from The Social and Emotional Behavioural Difficulties Association (SEBDA). We also had a full days training with Liz Ann Davidson form JIGSAW on sensory integration for pupils with autism.

We are working with Durham SCITT (School Centres Initial teacher Training) for the first time. Students from the SCITT have already been in school for two days this term to experience the wide variety of SEN and the different approaches that are used. They will return in June for a further experience.

We will be continuing to work with Carmel school on their GTP programme.

Staff have been out to several schools in Durham and Sunderland to offer curriculum advice.

We will be conducting training in Communicate in Print later this year.

We are using our technological capacity to finance an observatories in two classrooms which will allow trainee teachers to observe good practice in the classroom from a viewing area outside, therefore lessening the impact on the Teaching and Learning in the classroom being observed. This of course will only happen with the consent of staff, parents and pupils.

We are hoping to forge links with wider agency training including Social workers, educational psychologists and the police force.

Further information can be obtained from Joanne Smith who is the lead on training schools at the Education Village. She can be contacted on 01325 248135 or jsmith@educationvillage.org.uk.